{
  "title": "The State of Independent Home-Service Trades Websites 2026",
  "edition": "2026-Q4",
  "period": "Q4 2026",
  "sample": false,
  "source": "corpus",
  "note": "Aggregates computed from automated scans. No individual site is identified.",
  "url": "https://clikiti.com/research/trades/2026-q4",
  "scannedAt": "2026-10-15T12:49:49.178Z",
  "publishedAt": "2026-10-15T12:25:34.972Z",
  "modifiedAt": "2026-10-15T12:50:05.654Z",
  "license": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licenseUrl": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "attribution": "Free to use and cite under CC BY 4.0. Credit Clikiti with a link.",
  "citation": "Clikiti. (2026, October 15). The state of independent home-service trades websites 2026 (Q4 2026) [Report]. https://clikiti.com/research/trades/2026-q4",
  "audience": "Web agencies and freelancers selling to independent plumbing, HVAC, electrical, roofing and appliance repair businesses",
  "sampleSize": 165,
  "marginOfErrorPts": 7.6,
  "medianScore": 77,
  "meanScore": 78,
  "meanQuestionsAnswered": 4,
  "questionCount": 9,
  "findings": [
    "Only 17% of the 165 independent home-service trade websites we scanned state a warranty with its terms: on parts or labour, in months or years.",
    "A typical site answers four of the nine questions homeowners ask before choosing (mean 4).",
    "The median overall score is 77 out of 100 (mean 78).",
    "The least-answered questions are \"What if it fails again?\" (17%), \"What will the visit cost?\" (18%) and \"Can I spread the cost?\" (27%).",
    "The best-answered are \"Do you work in my area?\" (80%) and \"How do I reach you, and when are you open?\" (64%).",
    "By kind of business, the highest median score is 83 (appliance repair and handyman), against 75 for plumbing and hvac, 75 for electrical and 75 for roofing and exteriors.",
    "93% fail \"Loads in under 2.5 s on a phone\" (Core Web Vitals · LCP).",
    "73% fail \"Text contrast passes 4.5:1\" (WCAG 1.4.3).",
    "61% fail \"Plumber, HVACBusiness, Electrician or RoofingContractor structured data\" (Schema.org · HomeAndConstructionBusiness)."
  ],
  "questions": [
    {
      "id": "warranty",
      "question": "What if it fails again?",
      "label": "Warranty or guarantee stated with its terms",
      "standard": "Homeowner question 7",
      "passPct": 17,
      "bySegment": {
        "plumb": 14,
        "elec": 10,
        "roof": 24,
        "appl": 22
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "price",
      "question": "What will the visit cost?",
      "label": "A price shown: a service call, a fee, a rate or a job",
      "standard": "Homeowner question 8",
      "passPct": 18,
      "bySegment": {
        "plumb": 30,
        "elec": 2,
        "roof": 24,
        "appl": 14
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "financing",
      "question": "Can I spread the cost?",
      "label": "Financing offered",
      "standard": "Homeowner question 6",
      "passPct": 27,
      "bySegment": {
        "plumb": 57,
        "elec": 10,
        "roof": 33,
        "appl": 3
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "licensed",
      "question": "Are you licensed?",
      "label": "Licence number shown as text",
      "standard": "Homeowner question 4",
      "passPct": 28,
      "bySegment": {
        "plumb": 39,
        "elec": 33,
        "roof": 33,
        "appl": 3
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "reviews",
      "question": "Do my neighbours vouch for you?",
      "label": "Reviews marked up, in a widget or quoted",
      "standard": "Homeowner question 9",
      "passPct": 52,
      "bySegment": {
        "plumb": 70,
        "elec": 40,
        "roof": 57,
        "appl": 35
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "emergency",
      "question": "Can someone come tonight?",
      "label": "Emergency, 24/7 or same-day service stated",
      "standard": "Homeowner question 3",
      "passPct": 53,
      "bySegment": {
        "plumb": 68,
        "elec": 50,
        "roof": 48,
        "appl": 43
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "book",
      "question": "Can I book without calling?",
      "label": "Book or request an estimate online",
      "standard": "Homeowner question 5",
      "passPct": 60,
      "bySegment": {
        "plumb": 68,
        "elec": 52,
        "roof": 69,
        "appl": 49
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "contact",
      "question": "How do I reach you, and when are you open?",
      "label": "Tappable phone plus opening hours",
      "standard": "Homeowner question 1",
      "passPct": 64,
      "bySegment": {
        "plumb": 82,
        "elec": 62,
        "roof": 64,
        "appl": 43
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "area",
      "question": "Do you work in my area?",
      "label": "Service area named: towns, ZIP codes or an area page",
      "standard": "Homeowner question 2",
      "passPct": 80,
      "bySegment": {
        "plumb": 80,
        "elec": 71,
        "roof": 93,
        "appl": 76
      }
    }
  ],
  "technical": [
    {
      "id": "lcp",
      "label": "Loads in under 2.5 s on a phone",
      "standard": "Core Web Vitals · LCP",
      "failPct": 93,
      "bySegment": {
        "plumb": 86,
        "elec": 100,
        "roof": 98,
        "appl": 89
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "con",
      "label": "Text contrast passes 4.5:1",
      "standard": "WCAG 1.4.3",
      "failPct": 73,
      "bySegment": {
        "plumb": 75,
        "elec": 76,
        "roof": 76,
        "appl": 62
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "schema",
      "label": "Plumber, HVACBusiness, Electrician or RoofingContractor structured data",
      "standard": "Schema.org · HomeAndConstructionBusiness",
      "failPct": 61,
      "bySegment": {
        "plumb": 45,
        "elec": 71,
        "roof": 40,
        "appl": 89
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "alt",
      "label": "Images have text descriptions",
      "standard": "WCAG 1.1.1",
      "failPct": 22,
      "bySegment": {
        "plumb": 16,
        "elec": 29,
        "roof": 19,
        "appl": 27
      }
    }
  ],
  "segments": [
    {
      "id": "plumb",
      "name": "Plumbing and HVAC",
      "sites": 44,
      "median": 75,
      "weakPct": 0
    },
    {
      "id": "elec",
      "name": "Electrical",
      "sites": 42,
      "median": 75,
      "weakPct": 0
    },
    {
      "id": "roof",
      "name": "Roofing and exteriors",
      "sites": 42,
      "median": 75,
      "weakPct": 0
    },
    {
      "id": "appl",
      "name": "Appliance repair and handyman",
      "sites": 37,
      "median": 83,
      "weakPct": 0
    }
  ],
  "agencyProblems": [
    {
      "id": "lcp",
      "label": "Loads in under 2.5 s on a phone",
      "standard": "Core Web Vitals · LCP",
      "failPct": 93,
      "fix": "Resize and compress the hero image, defer scripts, aim for under 2.5 s on a phone.",
      "pitch": "Your home page takes several seconds to appear on the phone of someone standing in a flooded basement.",
      "effort": "Build"
    },
    {
      "id": "warranty",
      "label": "Warranty or guarantee stated with its terms",
      "standard": "Homeowner question 7",
      "failPct": 83,
      "question": "What if it fails again?",
      "fix": "State the warranty on parts and on labour, in months or years, on the home page and the service pages.",
      "pitch": "\"What if it fails again?\" is the second question a homeowner asks, and your site has no answer.",
      "effort": "Quick fix"
    },
    {
      "id": "price",
      "label": "A price shown: a service call, a fee, a rate or a job",
      "standard": "Homeowner question 8",
      "failPct": 82,
      "question": "What will the visit cost?",
      "fix": "Publish the service-call or diagnostic fee, and a starting price or range for the common jobs.",
      "pitch": "Homeowners fear the bill first. Your site gives them no number at all, not even the trip charge.",
      "effort": "Content"
    },
    {
      "id": "financing",
      "label": "Financing offered",
      "standard": "Homeowner question 6",
      "failPct": 73,
      "question": "Can I spread the cost?",
      "fix": "A financing page that names the lender and the terms, linked from big-ticket service pages.",
      "pitch": "A new furnace or roof is a five-figure decision. Your site never says it can be paid monthly.",
      "effort": "Content"
    },
    {
      "id": "con",
      "label": "Text contrast passes 4.5:1",
      "standard": "WCAG 1.4.3",
      "failPct": 73,
      "fix": "Raise text contrast to at least 4.5:1 in the theme.",
      "pitch": "Parts of the site are hard to read, and it is a WCAG failure.",
      "effort": "Quick fix"
    }
  ]
}